ACADEMY NEWS 15th JULY 2016 E X P L O R E Duke of Edinburgh Expedition Photo by Mr Raggett BE YOUR BEST Principal’s Report What can I say? Adventure Learning Week is even better this year than last year, if that’s possible. When I started at the school too many years ago to mention now, this week was called Activities Week. Students, at that time, got involved in a wide range of lovely activities in and out of school but the focus was on doing and not learning. We changed the name a few years ago to Challenge Week to emphasise that the activities should offer challenge and new experiences. This is definitely something that we want to offer all of our students at this time in the school calendar. We now call this week Adventure Learning Week and we have made some very important changes to ensure that the students are active and challenged as well as learning through a spirit of adventure. Year 7 have been engaged in deep learning experiences to develop their Creativity. They have been encouraged to work independently and in teams to develop their curiosity and skills to produce new products and performances that take them to the next level. Year 8 have been working on the theme of Tradition and their essential question has been ‘What does it mean to be Cornish?’ Learning has involved researching Cornish places, artefacts and people. For many students it was the first time they had visited the Isles of Scilly which is always an adventure! This week proved to be no exception with brilliant weather and opportunities to gather information and ideas for the final exhibition. Our Year 9 are immersed in the theme of Leadership during Adventure Learning Week and they have been joined by the Argentinian school party learning about beach safety in St Ives and geocaching in Poldark territory. They have all learnt to reflect on their leadership qualities during team building exercises on Marazion Beach. For the more serious potential leaders this week there has been an opportunity to complete the practice, and the real D of E expedition. We are delighted to say that 42 students successfully passed the expedition for their Bronze Award and this means it is a bumper year of D of E success which is a fitting tribute during the 60th anniversary year. Last but not least, the Year 10 have been at Work Experience placements near and far and life- changing experiences have occurred for very many of them as they make their first step in the adult world. The last week of term will be busy and exciting with Sports Day on Tuesday followed by the Sports Best wishes Celebration evening and the launch of four new albums of original music on our record label on Wednesday evening. We will be finishing for the year on Friday at 12.40pm for the start of the summer break. Let’s hope the weather Sara Davey - Academy Principal starts behaving in a more seasonal fashion for us all. BE INSPIRED New Junior Leadership Team “I have been very fortunate to have been given this leadership role and hope to play my part in making Mounts Bay Academy the best place to be. I want to help and support our prefects to improve their jobs even further and to listen to and reflect the student voice, to help the Academy to grow and help future students to have the opportunity I have been very lucky to receive.” Anya Burlton, Head Girl “In a school as large as ours, many students believe that their voices are not being heard by those people making the major decisions. I seek to rectify this problem, and show every student that their opinions are heard and valued by their school. We will be getting new planners in September, and I hope that the big differences in their contents will prove that students’ suggestions are used, more than many people think, to change the school to make it a better place to learn.” Horace Halling, Head Boy “The main thing I want to do by being Deputy Head Girl is to help people. I want to help people realise and discover their love and passion for school; just like mine. If I can help just one student discover a real enthusiasm or love for one subject, or activity, then that will be a job well done.” Hannah James, Deputy Head Girl "As a member of JLT, I hope to promote the individual student voice and make sure that everyone can make their opinions on issues heard. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to get involved and say what they believe, making the school better for them and others." Stan Roynon, Deputy Head Boy “I am really concerned about making a difference both in school and in the world. I am passionate about effecting real change at Mounts Bay and I'm looking forward to being part of the JLT this year.” Lamorna Tregenza Reid, Deputy Head Girl “I am very pleased to be appointed as Deputy Head Boy. I am enthusiastic and energetic and hope to help develop my role in the JLT to help to make it as efficient, dynamic and approachable as possible. I feel that my sporting background has given me the skills necessary to manage systems and people effectively. I hope to help to make Mounts Bay Academy an even more outstanding place to be and look forward to my role next year.” Mackenzie Oliver, Deputy Head Boy BE CREATIVE Year 7 Launch into Adventure Learning The Year 7 students started their Adventure Learning Week with an entry point in the Drama Studio. They experienced an interactive 4D cinema journey, where they took a tour of the world around us. They travelled on a trip to the stars before visiting the depths of the oceans and the marvels of the Antarctic. They soared through the atmosphere and experienced a roller coaster ride before returning to Earth after a bumpy ride! BE CREATIVE Year 7 Out and About Year 7 Newlyn Gallery Visit Year 7 students visited the Newlyn Gallery on Monday and Tuesday. After an introductory talk about the history of the Gallery, Year 7 were introduced to the work of the artist Imran Quereshi. His work depicts birds, animals, natural forms, body images and calligraphy which he uses also as an Art form. His work aims to capture the contrast between violence with beauty and the history of his homeland, Pakistan. Year 7 sketched in the gallery, gathering source material for their subsequent creative projects. Report by Mrs Dale BE CREATIVE Year 7 Drawing Workshop This week Year 7 have participated in a drawing workshop inspired by the beauty of patterns in nature. Students were drawing with a range of diverse materials, and exploring how these materials work together to create interesting effects. They experimented with drawing inks, watercolours and other mark making materials to create sustained illustrations. The students used view finders and real plants to select repeat patterns which formed their compositions. Every student has produced a finished illustration that has been mounted as a professional final piece. Well done Year 7! Report by Miss Green BE CREATIVE Variety Show The London Palladium has been the source of inspiration in the Drama studio, where the students have been breathing new life into the celebrated variety show. Acts have included singing, dancing, comedy, mime, tumbling and football tricks to boot! The show is packed with talent and hosted and run by the students, who have done a fabulous job. The final showstopper is something to behold with a mass dance medley choreographed by unquestionably St Just’s finest, Miss Osborne. The students have worked tirelessly over the last few days and should be very proud of themselves having produced such an outstanding show. The Variety Show will be available to watch on Monday lunchtime to begin at 1.25pm in the Drama Studio. Please bring your packed lunch. Report by Mr Payne BE CREATIVE Board Games Year 7 Game Creators have designed "Age of Castles". This is similar to Monopoly with players buying land on which to move from Bronze Age Hill Forts, all the way to the modern fortified palace. Gain all of the castles in a country to become King or Queen to win, or defeat your opponents by making them bankrupt through fines. The game files will be published so that any other school could print their own copy. Great for teaching History! Report by Mr Elliott News Crew This week, Joel and James (7 Purple) have been reporting on the Year 7 experience of Adventure Learning Week. They have interviewed students and staff alike, even securing an interview with the Principal. Using a variety of shots from different activities they produced the exit point film using iMovie to edit their clips together. The standard at which they worked was nothing short of professional! Well done lads! Report by Ross Jones BE CREATIVE Canons and Warfare “An armada of enemy ships has been seen mustering off the coast of a foreign land, with the aim of invading Penzance. You are tasked with building a defensive system for our town. We only have a few days to prepare ourselves before the invasion so you will need to adapt existing designs and build a device inspired by them, and then test your construction to find the most powerful and most accurate device.” This was our brief and we rose to the challenge. Demonstrating great team work and maturity, over 30 Year 7 students built six trebuchets with remarkable speed.